Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

20 reviews

penandpaper's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

An amazing book! At times, the build up and prose was a bit repetitive, but that’s a common problem with mysteries. This is a book about living in the past and needing to accept it to move on, and it’s very well done. The plot twist could be decisive (I first hated it, then loved it, then had lingering questions), but the book does a good job of balancing comfortable nostalgia with suspense and mystery. I think this is a book you’ll either love or hate from the ending.

I think the mechanics of the final twist could have been done better. Like, why does she stick around but not her relatives? Does the book set her free? What happens to Trixie? As much as I appreciate the sudden twist and the tie in to the beginning, I wish we had more information 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, and Medical content

uranaishi's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Abortion, and Pregnancy

emallovesreading's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Violence, and Murder

nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Suicide, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

j_squaredd's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

The prose itself is honestly bad in the first half - clunky dialogue and overly metaphorical descriptions. It gets a little better in the second half; I wonder if this wasn’t an early novel that got taken out of the trunk. Also, I guessed the twist about a third of the way into the book, and if you - like me - like fair play mysteries, it’s absolute BS. I really only kept reading because I love closed circle mysteries enough to read some terrible books about them.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, and Murder

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Chronic illness

kponturo's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Death of parent, and Murder

laceyfblackwell's review against another edition

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death

emmehooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Gooped, gagged, shocked (I’ve never read any Agatha Christie so I didn’t know the trope coming in). Every time I thought I had something figured out, I was wrong. Going back after I finished reading, there were so many clever hints, semantics, and clues spread in the book. 

I enjoyed the blending of flashbacks and present, good pacing, and a plot I am very excited to talk about at book club!!! 

The ending was quite full circle but I wish there was a little more to answer a few lingering questions. A huge build-up to such a short conclusion despite leaving so much room for more.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Violence, Car accident, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Suicide, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Blood

kris386's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Car accident, and Murder

Moderate: Body shaming, Infidelity, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

chaptersofchase's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Book Review || Daisy Darker

Genre: Mystery
Trope: Isolated/Locked Room
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 8.30.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆

"Fear is something we have to feel to learn and learn to feel."

Wow! I did not anticipate the end of this book. I was stunned, and after going back to read certain pages, I am still kicking myself for not noticing what was going on.

I spent most of this one feeling disinterested and slightly miffed because I knew the story's direction. There was a point when I debated just putting it down and picking up something else. Why?

Daisy Darker seemed to be one I've read 50 times - a family is stranded on their family estate due to hazardous weather, and slowly, one by one, they die. Leaving the reader and characters guessing who the killer might be. I also didn't love the flashback chapters as they were sometimes dull and didn't always go with the book. But, I kept reading because Feeney is one of my favorite mystery authors, and I refused to give up.

When the twist was revealed, I was shocked and happy that I had kept reading and finished the book. I also vowed to be a little more invested in the next mystery I read. 

🗺 Map of the house
🧐Unreliable characters
😤 Unlikeable characters (bratty, entitled, rude)
⏮ Flashback chapters
🤯 Surprising twist 

❌ - death of horses (page 126-129)

I recommend adding this to your reading list; it makes for a perfect rainy day read where you can get lost in the pages and be surprised with twisty endings. 


______


Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebookend.diner/
Follow my blog: https://thebookenddiner.com/
Follow me on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/thebookenddiner
Follow me on StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/thebookenddiner

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death